Modern consumer electronics particularly personal portable devices, such as cellular phones, digital cameras, and music players, require increasing integrated circuit die content to fit an ever-shrinking physical space as well as increased manufacturing throughput. These demands for smaller, higher performance semiconductor devices, which support portable electronic devices, have motivated the development of new techniques for producing smaller and less expensive semiconductor devices. One of these technologies involves packaging the integrated circuit die in as small a form factor as possible and manufacturing the integrated circuit die as efficiently as possible.
Typically, the manufacture of an IC package from the raw-material stage to the finished product involves many and varied processes. In the case of lead frame packages, semiconductor die are first bonded to a lead frame strip by a bonding agent. Thereafter, the lead frame strip is heated in a curing oven to strengthen the bond between the die and the lead frame strip. The die and the lead frame strip are then electrically connected, such as by wire bonding. The die are thereafter encapsulated with a molding material, which is applied over the die and lead frame strip. The molding material is then cured by heating before each encapsulated die is electrically separated from the other die and lead frames, so that each die can be tested while in a mold segment. Each IC package can then be singulated and provided to system assembly.
Conventionally, each apparatus for die-bonding, electrical connectivity, molding, or singulation involves a separate system dedicated to its task, such as a mechanized die-bonder for die attachment or wire-bonder for electrical connection. This often results in functional types of equipment physically separated from other functional types of equipment. In order to transfer each set of lead frame packages in a mold segment processed by one functional type of machine to another functional type of machine, the mold segments processed by one machine are inserted into magazines and transported to another machine for the next stage of the manufacturing production process.
As is well known in the field of integrated circuit packaging, additional steps or equipment can increase processing time and costs. However, additional processing methods and equipment are required for processing of mold segments with magazines for handling and transporting. Attaching additional jigs to mold segments and flipping over of the mold segments are often required with magazines. This is inefficient, and requires skilled operators often performing manual processes. To date, integrated circuit packages have not successfully addressed these and other manufacturing issues. A new approach must be found in order to improve the manufacturing processes and increase the automation and throughput of the integrated circuit package device and methods.
Thus, a need still remains for an integrated circuit package system to improve integrated circuit packages particularly processing, handling, and transporting mold segments. In view of the ever-increasing commercial competitive pressures, along with growing consumer expectations and the diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace, it is critical that answers be found for these problems. Additionally, the need to save costs, improve efficiencies and performance, and meet competitive pressures, adds an even greater urgency to the critical necessity for finding answers to these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.